Professor of Nanotechnology appointed at Victoria

Victoria University
scientist Dr Pablo Etchegoin has been appointed as its first
Professor of Nanotechnology.

Dr Etchegoin, who is
currently an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical &
Physical Sciences and a Principal Investigator in the
MacDiarmid institute for Advanced Materials &
Nanotechnology, will take up his new position on 1 July. He
has been appointed after the position was internationally
advertised.

Nanotechnology is a field of science and
technology that investigates the use of particles and
structures in the nanometer size range (one nanometer is a
thousand of a micron) and their possible applied use in
areas such as industry and medicine.

Pro Vice-Chancellor
and Dean of Science, Professor David Bibby, said Dr
Etchegoin was an outstanding candidate.

“Pablo’s
research within the School and the MacDiarmid Institute is
of an international standing. Last year a team he led
published ground-breaking research that provided the most
conclusive experimental proof available on the detection of
single molecules using laser spectroscopy. He also picked
up a three-year Marsden Fund grant worth $735,000 to carry
out further research in this area.”

Professor Bibby said
Dr Etchegoin’s appointment was a strategic initiative.

“Through hosting the MacDiarmid Institute, a
Government-funded Centre of Research Excellence, Victoria
has built on its reputation as a focus for nanotechnology.
The University has decided that if Victoria is to maintain
and enhance its strength in the physical sciences, and in
nanotechnology in particular, such an investment was
essential.”

Dr Etchegoin, who joined Victoria in 2003,
holds an MSc from Balseiro Institute in Argentina and a PhD
from the University of Stuttgart in Germany.

His
research interests include the study of optical methods for
the detection of small quantities of molecules and the study
of single molecules by laser spectroscopy. A particular
interest is in the use of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering
(SERS) in its various implementations with a view towards
applications in a biological context.

Dr Etchegoin has
strong research links with Imperial College in London with
both the Physics Department (Blackett Laboratory) and the
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, as well
as with the National Physical Laboratory in
Britain.

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